thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge

The Thrifty Six in Animal Prints*

October 21, 2024 / 16 Comments
The Thrifty Six in Animal Prints
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge

Welcome to the October edition of The Thrifty Six! We are a group of international fashion lovers who meet once a month in our little space on the internet to share our thrifty outfits. On the third Monday of every month, we will all share an outfit based on a theme that features preloved wardrobe pieces. Shopping and reselling preloved clothing is so much better for the environment and you can find some of the best fashions in thrift or charity shops. The Thrifty Six are here not only to inspire you to shop second hand but to also get creative in your closets.

It was Nancy’s turn to choose our style theme and she really challenged me this time. Or so I thought. Animal print was the prompt. Easy, right? Except Nancy added a caveat that leopard print was not allowed. Darn it, Nancy. I have a lot of preloved leopard print things. Not so many of other animal prints though. Until I went exploring my closet room and found a few preloved non-leopard animal prints that I had quite forgotten about including this cow print tote bag. I should have incorporated the bag into this outfit because it would have coordinated perfectly with the color palette and my cowgirl accessories, but I forgot.

That’s enough about what I didn’t wear. Let’s get to what I did wear for this challenge.

thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge

One rule of this thrifty game is that the wardrobe piece which satisfies the stated theme should be preloved in some way. But I like to include as many thrifted pieces as I can into each outfit to show that you can create complete looks and even complete wardrobes using mostly or all secondhand clothing.

To fulfill the animal print requirement for this style challenge, I started with this adorable elephant motif ruana wrap thingy which I picked up last year at a local thrift shop. Actually, I lied. I did not start with this elephant print thingy. I started with a different elephant motif thingy that was another thrift shop purchase from last year. I styled the other one which is more like a short robe, looked in the mirror, absolutely hated it, and immediately changed course to this particular elephant thingy.

The elephant motif thingy was the easy part. Deciding what the heck to wear with it was whole different kind of challenge. After accumulating a giant heap of discarded clothing that did not work with this elephant topper, I finally landed on a thrifted floral print dress for an interesting pattern mix. Elephants and flowers, why the heck not? It’s all nature. I even added a smidge of snakeskin with my hair tie.

I layered two preloved elephant necklaces to keep with my pachydermal theme and rounded out my outfit with black tights (because it is getting cold), my brown felt hat, brown wooden earrings, and a pair of secondhand two-toned brown cowgirl boots.

thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge

I was really pleased with the way the blacks and browns played together for a cozy autumn cowgirl look that both satisfies our monthly style challenge as well as my personal fashion aesthetic.

After putting this outfit together, I realized that I might have a bit of an obsession with elephants and I didn’t even realize it. I have been drawn to this majestic creature for as long as I can remember. In fact, I remember gifting my mother a beautiful sterling silver elephant brooch nearly 30 years ago. I thought it was so pretty. My mother did not. She actually got really mad at me and said that I chose the elephant as a way of telling her she was fat. It was such a strange accusation. My mother was fat. We didn’t need to tell her. And I chose the brooch because I think elephants are amazing creatures. I wonder whatever happened to that brooch. She probably tossed it in the trash!

Years after my mother rejected my elephant gift, my mother-in-law and I had quite the adventure with a real live elephant. Archie was just a baby, not even a year old, when the circus came to town bringing an elephant along with it. My mother-in-law and I decided to take Archie for an elephant ride. Oh my god. If you don’t already know, I am very afraid of heights. If you didn’t know, elephants are very tall creatures. We were way up high on top of that thing with baby Archie nestled between us, holding on to each other for dear life while Pachyderm Pete lumbered around in a circle for a few minutes. A few minutes too long, I might add. However, despite the immense fear of heights, we laughed probably as hard as two people can laugh without falling off an elephant! Have you ever ridden an elephant?

thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge

Now let’s see what types of animal prints my thrifty friends brought to this circus!

Emma of Style Splash
Style Splash
“I have a lot of leopard print, but the animal print that comes in second for me is snake! I bought this Scotch and Soda suit on Thrift+ a few years ago. Unlike my other snake print pieces, this actually has intertwined snakes with googly eyes rather than the usual scaly pattern. I’ve featured it on the blog before with the same T-shirt and bag…one day I’ll get around to styling it differently!”
-Emma
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
“Tyger Tyger, burning bright, in the forests of the night.
What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies, burnt the fire of thine eyes?
If thy cannot Leopard be, then be a Tyger in disguise!
A little collaboration from myself and Willian Blake there, but essentially, I’m doing Tiger!”
-Jane
Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style
Jodie's Touch of Style
“I know my bootie collection is pushing the edges of space, but I couldn’t resist this pair while thrifting this summer. They had never been worn, so I snagged them and put together this dark outfit with pops of yellow. The blouse, belt, purse, and of course, the booties are all secondhand. In fact, I decorated the purse with a couple of charms and a scarf.”
-Jodie
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
Nancy's Fashion Style
“When it is my turn to choose a theme, I checked my closet to see what I haven’t shown yet with The Thrifty Six. ( It is on the blog though.) And that was this animal print dress. It’s definitely not leopard but I am not quite sure what it is then. I think it is giraffe.
I bought it on Vinted and it is from a brand where I already got two fantastic dresses from. I love the ruffles and the side split. I added the vest because it was still warm enough to wear the rather thin dress without a cardigan. And wore my beloved black leather boots. The pre-loved necklace is actually a bit too much for my liking, but I love my gun metal cuff.”
-Nancy
Sally of Within a World of My Own
Within a World of My Own
“I’ve been in a making-summer-last mood so far this fall, so I chose a non-traditional animal print and color scheme for an autumn outfit: a thrifted bluebird print blouse in a blue and pink look. The blouse dates from a Goodwill thrifting trip in 2019, bought at the bargain price of $5.24. It’s from that short period of time when Loft sold plus size clothing (sigh). To continue the bird theme, I upcycled a cover from Audubon magazine to make paper beads for my handmade necklace. This dusky rose cardigan is on the warmer side, so included with the jeans, I felt quite comfortable for an early fall day in this outfit.”
-Sally
And Me!
thrifted style, cowgirl fashion, floral dress, cowgirl boots, elephant print kimono wrap, preloved fashion, Shelbee on the Edge
“Keeping leopard out of the mix was a bit challenging! I styled a thrifted wrap with an elephant print over a preloved floral print dress. Then I added two secondhand necklaces that feature elephants and a pair of my thrifted cowgirl boots for this budget friendly mixed print mayhem.”
-Shelbee

I hope you enjoyed this collection of animal print styles! Be sure to check back with us on November 18 2024, for our next style challenge. It is Jane’s choice!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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